Spring-retaining plate for draft-gears.



C. J. NASH.

SPRING RETAINING PLATE FOR DRAFT GEARS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GI.31. 1912.

Patented Dec. 15,1914.

YHE NORRIS PETERS CON PnomJr-qa. IISHINGIUNN 0. Q

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s'raps PATENT orrion.

CHARLES J'. NASH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNIVERSAL DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT 60., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SPRING-RETAINING PLATE FOR DRAFT-GEARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec.15,19 11.

Application filed October 31, 1912. Serial No. 728,865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. NASH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Retaining Plates for Draft-Gears, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to the plate interposed between a pair of springs in so-called twin-spring gears, wherein the springs are housed within a yoke, side by side, the plate serving to space the springs apart and to lock them within the yoke.

The object of the invention is to provide a plate which, while being of light weight, possesses the requisite strength and may be bent during the operation of assembling without danger of fracture.

The improved plate is hereinafter fully described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in connection with a gear with which it is adapted for use.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional view of a draft gear as applied to a car; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the improved plate.

A draft gear yoke is represented at 10, and sets of twin springs housed therein are represented at 11, 12. These springs are located side by side and interposed between he rearward follower 13, which is shown as integral with the yoke, and the forward follower l t.

The spacing and retaining plate 15 is interposed between the two sets of springs, and is provided with laterally projecting wings or leaves 16, 17, 18, 19, the leaves on each side being curved, respectively, in opposite directions in order that they will bear against the springs of both sets. The side members of the yoke 10 have concave faces to form seats for the springs and prevent their lateral displacement. The retaining plate prevents the springs from being rolled out of these seats.

The retaining plate is formed of metal capable of being bent, preferably a malleable casting, and to facilitate assembling the wings, as 18, 19, on one side are not bent to curved form until the plate has been inserted between the springs. After such insertion these wings may be bent to the position of service by the blow of a hammer. Plates of this type have heretofore been in use, but the novel feature of the plate herein shown and described consists in so forming the leaves that the inner ends of those upon one side are out of register.

with the inner ends of those upon the opposite side of the plate. Preferably this construction is secured by forming the plate with one wide leaf, as 16, 18, at each side, and with one narrow leaf, as 17, 19, upon each side, the narrow leaf of each side being opposite the wide leaf at the other side. By this construction the central portion of the plate is greatly strengthened and the tendency to fracture across this central plate in bending the leaves is re duced, as the line of fracture would necessarily be obliquely across this central portion of the plate from the inner ends of the leaves upon opposite sides thereof, and consequently much longer than is the case where the inner edges of the leaves at 0pposite sides are in line.

lVhile the springs are shown as arranged in sets of two nested together, it will be understood that the plate is equally applicable to a gear in which the inner spring of each set is omitted.

hile the preferred form of construction of the plate is that shown in the drawings, in which there are but two leaves at each side, the invention is of sufficient scope to include a device in which a different number of leaves are employed, providing the margins of the leaves at opposite sides of the plate which are not substantially at the ends of the body portions are out of alinement.

I claim as my invention- 1. A spacing and retaining plate for draft gears comprising a body portion, a pair of leaves of unequal breadth projecting from each side of the body portion, the relative arrangement of the leaves of the two pairs being reversed, and the breadth of each of the broader leaves being greater than one half the length of the plate.

2. A spacing and retaining plate for draft gears comprising a body portion, and a pair of leaves of unequal breadth projecting from each side of the body portion, the

relative arrangement of the leaves of the two firs being rgversed. f

3. s acin an retainin late or draft 5 gears coiiiprisi ng a body por ti n, and leaves CHARLES NASH projecting from both sides thereof, the Witnesses:

leaves upon one side of the plate being di- 1 LOUIS K. GILLoN, vided laterally with reference to the body j E. M. KLATOHER.

portion, the leaf upon the opposite side of division.

copiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. i i

the plate being solid opposite such'line of 10 i 

